Sputnik V vaccine supplies to Latin America may start in December

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) plans to initiate supplies of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V to Argentina and Peru, chief executive of the Fund Kirill Dmitriev said on Monday at an online conference. "We will announce shortly an agreement with Argentina and an agreement with Peru, further to agreements we already have with Mexico and with Brazil and with a number of other countries," he said. Deliveries of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to Latin America can start in December, Kirill Dmitriev clarified. "We believe we will be able to start the supply to Latin America as early as in December," Dmitriev said. Nevertheless, the regulatory issue related to the vaccine approval will also influence the start of shipments, the chief executive said. "For example, we have made a submission recently for Brazilian clinical trials and hope to get a permit in December," he added. The chief executive of RDIF said earlier Russia had received requests for deliveries of 1.2 bln doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. The Fund also expects monthly production of coronavirus vaccines will reach 10 mln doses by the end of December. The Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V will be produced in India, Brazil, South Korea and China, Dmitriev said. "We confirm we will be able to supply huge volumes this December. We will produce [the vaccine] in India, Brazil, Korea, China and in one more country," he said. Effectiveness of the vaccine Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V has proven to be highly effective on the outcomes of testing involving 16,000 volunteers, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund told the online conference. "We have shown that the vaccine is 100% effective during phase 2 [of clinical trials - TASS], and now 16,000 people vaccinated within phase 3 demonstrate that the vaccine is highly effective," he said. Earlier, Dmitriev informed that post-registration trials of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V would be conducted on 40,000 volunteers, 10,000 of whom will receive a placebo. Clinical trials will also be held in the Middle East, Brazil, India, Mexico and a number of other states. On August 11, Russia became the first country across the globe that registered a vaccine against the coronavirus infection, Sputnik V. On September 9, Russian Healthcare Minister Mikhail Murashko said that the third phase of clinical trials of the vaccine started. Read more